Seeking Paradise by Achieving Brotherhood

 

It is certainly the nature of man to question his purpose in this life. For every action he takes, whether it is a step taken forward or a word uttered, must have a purpose of some kind. This purpose, for Muslims, is molded into something far more meaningful. It is molded into faith. In fact, they spend their nights restlessly  thinking about their Creator and anxious for this ultimate reward, just as Allah (SWT) describes them in the last verses of Surat al-Imran. They pray in sincerity: "Oh our Sustainer, grant us that which You have promised us through your messengers, and do not disgrace us on Resurrection Day! Verily, You never fail to fulfill Your promise!"

 

And thus does their Sustainer answer their prayer: "I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors for My sake, be it man or woman: each of you. As for those who abandon evil, and are driven from their homelands, and suffer hurt in My cause, and fight for it and are slain - I shall most certainly eradicate their sins, and shall most certainly bring them into gardens through which running waters flow, as a reward from Allah, for with Allah is the most beautiful of rewards."

 

To the believers the promise is a clear reality. It is al-Jannah: Paradise. Their purpose is to achieve the ultimate reward promised to them by their Creator through His Messengers (peace and blessings be upon them). Hence, to the faithful this life is but a means to reach their ultimate goal: Paradise.

 

We must ask ourselves, "What must we do to attain this reward?" Prophet Muhammad (S) taught us what is obligated of us in order to reach this goal. It was narrated by Abu Hurairah (R) that the Prophet (S) stated: "By He who holds my soul in His grasp, none of you will enter Heaven until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. He (S) asks: Should I guide you to a manner in which you may increase love amongst you? Bestow salam to each other."

 

 

This matter cannot be taken lightly, it is what stands between you and your faith, and it may be what prevents you from receiving your reward.  Imam Ahmad, reported that as the Prophet Muhammad (S) was sitting amongst a group of his companions, a man from the ansar walked towards them. His beard was dripping with the water of wudu. At the instant he walked in, the Prophet (S) addressed his companions stating: "A man from the people of Jannah will walk towards you now."  This happened for three consecutive days.  Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al Aws became resolute in finding out what it was that made this man from the people of Jannah.  Abdullah accompanied this man for three days and nights determined to uncover his secret. He studied every action the man took, every prayer, every voluntary fast, and every sadaqah he gave. He reported that the man performed the minimum required of him, and he did not find anything surprising in the man's behavior.  Finally, he decided to tell the man what the Prophet Muhammad (S) had said about him and ask him what his secret was. Listen carefully to the man of ahil al Jannah's answer. He said (R): "There is nothing I do that you have not seen except that I do not hold any ill feelings towards any Muslim, and I do not envy any individual for a rizq Allah has bestowed upon him."

 

Abdullah (R) comments concerning this answer, stating that this is his secret and is our failing. To be able to judge our brothers fairly, to have good feelings towards them, to clean our hearts from hatred, envy, hypocrisy, and baseless suspicions, if only we achieved this then we have achieved a great success. Our hearts will be clean for Allah (SWT) to look upon. Prophet Muhammad (S) states: "Allah does not look to your physical appearances or your possessions, but rather looks to your hearts and your actions."

 

Let us all examine our hearts and evaluate the ill feelings we have towards this person and that person. How many of our Muslim brothers do we avoid so we will not be forced to say salam to him? How many can we not bear to even look at? Or those we have ignored when they sought our help? Or injured with our cruel tongues? How many have we looked down upon and arrogantly turned away from? What we will gain from this?  What are we going to harvest from these feelings and actions?

 

Do we not seek to be among those who Allah (SWT) describes in Surat Al Hashr: And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brothers who came before us into Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, bitterness against those who have believed. Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful."

 

My dear brothers and sisters, it is not only that we will gain nothing from such illnesses in our hearts, it is that we will incur punishment from our Creator who has ordered us to hold our tongues, not to be suspicious of one another, not to slander each other, and to be forgiving of each other. It may be what stops Allah (SWT) from having mercy on our souls. It was reported that Prophet Muhammad (S) said: "The doors of Paradise open every Monday and every Thursday and Allah forgives every servant of His that does not worship partners with Allah except a man who is at conflict with his brother. It will be said to wait until these two forgive one another. Wait until these two forgive one another. Wait until these two forgive one another."

 

Oh Allah I ask that we are not amongst those whom Your forgiveness will not reach because of the hurt they cause their brothers. Oh Allah I ask that You make us amongst those who encourage our brothers to reconcile. Oh Allah I ask You to make us amongst those who hold their tongues and who do not injure their Muslim brothers by word or action. Oh Allah I ask that You purify our hearts from hatred, envy, and suspicion. Oh Allah make us one brotherhood, a brotherhood that seeks and gains Your reward: al-Jannah. Ameen.

 

Sh. Jamal Said

Imam & Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

"O Allah, bind our hearts together. Set aright relations among us. Guide us upon the way of peace. Deliver us from darkness into light. Separate us from vile deeds, whatever may be concealed of them and whatever revealed. Bless us in our hearing and our sight, our hearts and our spouses, and our children. Grant us repentance, for You are the All-Relenting, the Mercy-Giving. And enable us to be thankful for Your grace, and extol to 'You' for it, and to be accepting of it. And perfect it for us." 

 

As Muhammad said in the courtroom at the sentencing, " I thank God for what He has given me, and I thank God for what He has taken away from me, and for what He has destined me to. And I ask that you remember those less fortunate than me in your prayers."

 

We do our best and then it is all in Allah's most capable hands. You have shown tremendous courage as a community, the lawyers have demonstrated unbelievable dedication, and we have persevered to the best of our ability, so the rest is up to the Creator of all there is.

 

From the selfless families who put up their homes so our children could enjoy the company of their father for the past three years, to those who generously contributed to the defense fund, to the wonderful sisters who cooked for us during Ramadan, to the young people who attended the trial in amazing numbers, to the teachers at my children's school, and their classmates, to all those who wrote the 650 heartfelt letters, and finally to those who prayed for us most fervently, we are forever grateful to you.

 

I can say with certainty that without you and the greater community of many faiths, and the grace of God Almighty, Muhammad would have spent the rest of his days in prison.

 

Instead, he will be spending 15 months in a medium security prison, and another two months in a halfway house. He is planning to report in after EidAl-Fitr, and insha-Allah he should be back in time to attend our daughter's high school graduation.

 

We request that you continue to remember us in your prayers as well as all those who are being tested to the core of their being. Our faith is unshakable and our love for you and our Creator is what sustains us until we meet Him, insha-Allah.

 

 

"O Allah, You are Peace and from You is peace. Blessed are You, O Lord of Majesty and Generosity."

 

 

 

 

MFCC Educating Our Youth

 

If you've been wondering what has been going on at the Mosque Foundation Community Center lately, stop wondering and come join the activities!  On Saturday, August 11, 2007, over 145 people traded their mornings of sleeping in to participate in the Neighborhood Clean-up Day.  Young and old alike joined together to clean inside the Mosque Foundation, MFCC, and around the Aqsa and Universal School grounds.  The participants were treated to a barbeque after all the cleaning and scrubbing was done, as well as a free t-shirt to commemorate their hard work and enthusiasm.

 

The Mosque Foundation Community Center strives to bring programs and activities to educate its members and promote brotherhood as a way of life.  One such program is the "One Nation, One Message Project" presented by MFCC and MAS Youth Chicago every Friday at 7 PM.  The program covers a variety of topics such as the Seerah of the Prophet (PBUH), Stories of the Prophets and the Sahabah, the Attributes of Allah, and Self Purification.  The lectures are followed by activities, games and contests.  The winners of the Islamic Trivia Contest on August 18 won free tickets to the Sami Yousef and Native Deen concert. 

 

For more information about this program, and the many other programs offered at MFCC, call (708) 598-6307.

 

 

The blessed month of Ramadan is before you.  The reward for every act of worship, every good deed, and every donation will be multiplied with your Lord and saved for you until the Day of Judgment.  What better investment can you make than these deposits into your eternal account?  Allah has the power to multiply each deed by numbers our minds cannot even comprehend.  Where else can you get a return like that?  This life is fleeting and temporary, it passes like the blink of an eye.  How many loved ones have you said goodbye to since the last Ramadan?  How many more will you say goodbye to before the next Ramadan comes? That is, if you are not among the ones your family and friends will be saying goodbye to.   Each one of us might be lucky enough to live in the memories of those who knew us, but after that generation passes, who will remember?  Everything we work for to enjoy in this life will pass.   

All the money we earn is spent on paying bills and maintaining a certain standard of living, and it goes as quickly as  sand pouring through the fingers.  We struggle so hard just to save money, but can anyone of us take those bank accounts to the grave?  All we keep is what we have invested with Allah for the Hereafter. 

 

Aisha narrated that someone slaughtered a goat and gave it to the house of the Prophet. (PBUH)  She distributed all the meat before the day had passed, but she kept one shoulder because she knew the Prophet (PBUH) was fond of that part.  When the Prophet returned home in the evening, she told him about the goat.  He asked her what she had given from it.  Aisha answered that she had given everything but the shoulder.  The Prophet replied, "No Aisha, you have kept everything but the shoulder."  (AlTirmidhi)

 

There are several means of ensuring our deeds will go on long after we have been forgotten in this life.  One of those means is right in front of your eyes, it's your beloved mosque.  This is your mosque, and it's a waqf in your hands to ensure it will continue to be a place of sanctuary for your children and your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to come.  Allah will build a mansion in Paradise for the one who builds a mosque in this life. 

 

By donating for the construction of this mosque, you will secure your share of the rewards for every person who prays in this mosque as long as this mosque continues!  You will secure your share of the rewards for every person who takes his shahadah in this mosque, and for every service this mosque provides to the community! 

 

Just this past month, the Mosque Foundation has collected a little over a quarter of a million dollars for our construction project. Most of that came from the generous hearts of our surrounding community members, but almost one hundred thousand dollars of that money came from outside the state. 

 

It came from our dear brothers and sisters who have never stepped foot inside this mosque, never prayed one prayer in this mosque, or benefited from any of the programs or services this mosque provides.  These envelopes come pouring in the mail on a daily basis from all over the United States from believers whose only desire is to make a deposit into their eternal accounts with Allah, trusting in His promise to multiply their deeds by investing in this mosque.  A true believer knows that the investment in the next life is the only investment that remains. 

 

Ramadan is before you now.  Come take your share.  Make a deposit into your eternal account.  Donate generously.